The List
by Lady Tsukino
Summary: An illness at birth causes Usagi to slowly go blind. When she has a run in with Mamoru, though, she realizes just how important her eyesight is to her. But what happens when she makes a list of things to see before she goes completely blind, and that list
1. The List

The List: Chapter one.

Alright, I know, I know, "another new story?" Yes, it is. I got inspiration for this from another story, and decided to see how it would turn out.

Summary: An illness at birth causes Usagi to slowly go blind. When she has a run in with Mamoru, though, she realizes just how important her eyesight is to her. But what happens when she makes a list of things to see before she goes completely blind, and that list falls into Mamoru's hands?

"Usagi!" A voice called out, and Usagi turned her head, her almost completely blind eyes searching for the speaker. Suddenly, the voice came again, but from behind her again. "Usagi, I'm over here!"

Usagi let out a sigh of frustration, spinning on her heel in the new direction.

"Shingo-san, that's not very nice, and you know it," another voice called out softly from the sidelines. "You know it's hard for Usagi when you do that."

Shingo stuck his lower lip out in a pout, but decided he'd stop teasing his older sister.

Usagi had been born with an eye problem, one that slowly limited her peripheral vision more and more each day. Soon, she knew, she would be completely blind. It was only a matter of time.

Usagi laughed slightly as her eyes alighted on her little brother, and moving over to him, she ruffled his hair playfully.

"No worries, Otouto-san," she replied. "After all, I can still see you right now!"

Shingo smiled, his brown eyes sparkling as he wrapped his arms around his older sister, holding her tight.

"Onee-chan… I don't want you to go blind," he said softly, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"I don't want to, either, otouto-san," she replied, lightly stroking his hair. "But sometimes, life's not fair, and we have to live with the hand we've been dealt, and be grateful for it, ne? After all, things could be much worse. I may have never gotten to see you grow into the fine young man you are; I could have been born blind. But Kami has decided that I should be able to see some things, and before I go completely blind, I've decided I'm going to see a lot."

Shingo held back tears. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he really admired his sister. Though she was going blind, she was still somehow so cheerful, so ready to go out and try new things, and do new things before the day came when she wouldn't be able to see what she was doing.

Usagi held back a sob as she held the boy tightly in her arms. She couldn't show how scared she was; couldn't let on to how much she dreaded not being able to see ever again. Each day it was the same: she'd wake up, and lay in bed for awhile, fearing to open her eyes in the event that she wouldn't see anything. So far, she'd been lucky, but the first question on her mind each morning would be, 'Is today the day?' And once she'd passed that question, the next would be, 'Is this the last day that I'll be able to see?'

She quickly pushed these thoughts from her head, determined not to let them get to her.

"Ano, Otouto-san, what say we go get some ice cream, ne? We can take the long way, through the park, too, and look at the rose gardens. And then we can stop at the arcade and see Motoki-san, too."

Shingo's eyes lit up with delight, and he nodded his head happily.

"Hai! Let's go!"

"Alright, just let me grab my purse," Usagi responded, a smile on her face. As she stood, her long blonde hair spilled down her back, and she paused to run a finger lightly through the golden strands, looking down on it with a small frown.

'When will I not be able to see the color of my own hair anymore?' she wondered slightly. 'Is this the last time I'll be able to see it? No… no, Usagi! Don't think like that! Be grateful that you can still see today, and make the most of it.'

Heading inside, she quickly grabbed her purse from where it hung by the door, left a note for Ikuko-mama, and went out the door again, smiling down at her brown haired brother.

"Ami-chan, wanna come with us?" She asked her neighbor.

Ami looked up from the book she'd been reading, and a smile crossed her face.

"I'd be delighted!" She exclaimed, shutting her book with a snap and placing it beneath the chair she'd been sitting on. "I'll just tell my mother, and then we can go."

Usagi nodded her head with a friendly smile, and Shingo paced back and forth impatiently.

Finally, a few minutes later Ami reemerged from her house, a small blue purse in hand, a smile on her face.

"Gomen for making you wait. I just had to make sure it was alright. Are you ready to go?"

"Hai!" Shingo exclaimed, rushing over to meet the blue haired girl, and then rushing past her, leaving Usagi and Ami behind, each of them shaking their head, a smile on their face.

"He's such a sweet boy," Ami said quietly, watching as Shingo skipped ahead, oblivious of everything.

Usagi watched him quietly, nodding her head in agreement.

'How many more days will I be able to watch him scamper about, or see his brown head of hair bobbing around the house? How many more times will I be able to see him dance around in childlike playfulness, with his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with happiness?'

She shook her head once more, clearing the thoughts before they could get much further.

'What happens happens,' she told herself firmly. 'I need to enjoy the time I have to see, while I still can. There's no use in dwelling the future.'

"Hai, he certainly is," she responded, a smile on her face. "He's a handful, alright, but he's a great boy."

Closing her eyes, Usagi took a deep breath of the fresh air, rounding a corner with Ami.

"Usagi, look out!" She heard the girl cry, but by then, it was already too late.

_CRASH!_

Usagi ran smack into someone, and her eyes snapped open in shock as she fell to the hard ground with a light 'thump.'

"Erg," she moaned quietly, rubbing her backside. "Gomen nasai! I didn't see you, and… oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Maybe you should watch where you're going, Odango," a voice snapped at her, and looking up through the enclosing blackness, Usagi found herself staring into a pair of beautiful cerulean eyes.

"I… I'm sorry… I couldn't… ano…"

"Mamoru-san!" Ami exclaimed.

"Ami-chan?" Mamoru asked, confused. "What are you doing out with this chaotic whirlwind?"

"Ano, Mamoru-san, you should be a little nicer to her. This is Tsukino Usagi. Usagi, Chiba Mamoru."

By this time, Usagi had risen to her feet, and she stuck out her hand with a forced smile.

"Gomen, Mamoru-san. I didn't mean to run into you like that. I hope you can forgive me?"

"Hmph. Kami gave you eyes for a reason, you know. You should learn to use them a little more."

Usagi's eyes snapped open wide, shock etched onto her face.

"G-gomen. Ami-chan, you can take Shingo out for ice cream. I'm… I'm going home." That said, she spun on her feet and ran back the way she'd come from, leaving a very confused Mamoru in her wake.

"Was… it something I said?" Mamoru asked, raking a hand through his ebony black hair.

Ami spun around to face him, her nay blue eyes filled with an uncharacteristic heat.

"Mamoru-san, how dare you!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "It's hard enough for her already, and then you have to go and say something like that, which makes it ten times worse!"

"Something like _what_?" Mamoru asked in exasperation.

Ami scowled at him, and peeked over his shoulder to make sure Shingo was still in view; he was, and was watching the two of them curiously.

"Usagi is going blind," Ami explained quietly, her eyes shutting for a brief period of time. "Each morning when she wakes up, more and more of her vision is gone. There's going to come a morning where she'll open her eyes, and not see anything anymore."

Mamoru's jaw dropped in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, Kami, what have I done?" he muttered to himself.

Ami just shook her head sadly, and walked past the man, walking up to Shingo.

"Ano, Ami-chan, where'd Usagi go?" Shingo asked tentatively.

"Your onee-chan went home, Shingo-san. She decided she didn't want to go out for ice cream today…. Ano… she said her head hurt. But she told me to go with you anyways, does that sound good?"

Shingo glared at the dark haired man.

"He had something to do with it, didn't he?" Shingo asked spitefully. "He said something to her. I saw the look on her face. Ami-chan, I think we should go home and see if Usa-onee-chan is alright."

Ami's face fell, but she nodded firmly.

'Smart boy,' she thought to herself as they headed back the way Usagi had gone. 'Very smart boy.'

…

Usagi sat in her room, rubbing her eyes to stop the flow of tears. She scowled bitterly to herself.

'What does that baka know, anyways?' she thought furiously. 'He doesn't understand anything.'

"_Kami gave you eyes for a reason, you know. You should learn to use them a little more."_

Mamoru's voice rang through her head, and she steeled her resolve, the tears finally coming to a slow halt.

'I need… to make a list,' she thought to herself. 'I do need to use my eyes more, to see things that I treasure, or to see things that I've never seen before.'

Quickly, she moved over to her desk, pulling open the top drawer and taking out a notebook. Flipping it open to a blank page, she tore it out, and quickly wrote at the top:

Usagi's List of Things to do:

Quickly, she jotted down the first thing that came to her mind. With her first goal down, she quickly came up with a list of twenty five things she would do before she went completely blind. With a satisfied smile, she folded the piece of paper up, and shoved it into her pocket. Putting the notebook back into the desk, she stood for a minute, staring outside.

'Will I even be able to accomplish all of these things?' she wondered idly. 'It's only twenty five, but nonetheless, will tomorrow be the day that I'm blind, and I won't even have had a chance to see any of them?'

She snapped back to attention when a head of brown hair and a head of blue hair appeared in her vision, with the brown hair racing to the front door. Laughing, Usagi went down the stairs to meet them.

"Onee-chan!" Shingo cried out, wrapping his arms around Usagi's waist tightly. "What did that jerk say to you? Are you alright? Can I kick him?"

The questions came endlessly, and Usagi laughed, holding up a hand to halt his flow of words.

"Iie, otouto-san, I'm alright, really. I'm sorry I didn't go with you for ice cream… how about we go tomorrow morning, alright? Besides… I need to talk to Motoki-san. So, what do you say, hm?"

Shingo nodded, a grin plastered across his face.

"Hai!"

With a smile, Usagi pushed him, and he went running into another room, presumably to play some of his video games. With him safely out of ear shot, Usagi's smile faded, and she looked at Ami.

"I'm sorry, Ami-chan. I ruined our trip to get ice cream."

Ami shook her head slowly, a small smile on her face.

"Iie, Usagi-chan. It's alright. Ano…" Here Ami's face flushed with embarrassment, and she looked down. "Gomen, Usagi-chan. I told Mamoru."

Usagi looked as though she'd been punched in the stomach.

"You told him?" she whispered in shock.

"He had a right to know what he'd said, Usagi!" Ami defended herself, though her eyes were a bit unsure.

Sighing, Usagi nodded her head in agreement, after a moment of hesitation.

"Hai. I suppose he did, at that. Arigato, Ami-chan. Do you want to come with Shingo and me tomorrow? Hopefully, nothing will spoil our trip."

Ami nodded her head with a smile.

"I'd like that."

"Great! We're probably going to be going at around one in the afternoon, so we'll stop by, alright?"

Ami nodded her head, blue hair bouncing slightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Usagi-chan."

"Hai, sayonara, Ami-chan!"

"Ja ne, Usagi-chan."

Shutting the door behind her blue haired friend, Usagi let out a small breath, her smile fading into the distance.

'And now we'll just hope tomorrow isn't the day,' she thought to herself, and went to join Shingo in playing some Sailor V.

…

Well, there it is. I really thought this would be a good idea, but if not, I'll stop. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it!

Lady Tsukino


	2. Ice Cream

The List: Chapter two.

Here's the second chapter! I'm really having fun with this story.

Disclaimer: I just realized: I didn't put a disclaimer in chapter one. Oops! I. Don't. Own. Sailor. Moon. I never will. With all that said, on with the story!

Usagi laid in bed, her eyes shut tightly.

'Is this the day?' She wondered. Slowly, she pried one eye open, and let out a small sigh of relief as things came slowly into focus. True, there was a little less than yesterday, but that didn't matter. She could still see!

'Will today be the last day I can see, though?' She asked herself, as was usual for her. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stood up and stretched, looking over at her clock, which stood on a small nightstand beside her bed. 11:42.

Yawning, she lifted her arms in a small stretch, and headed over to her closet, throwing it open and selecting a pair of light blue jeans, and a pink t-shirt, and grabbing a pair of underclothes from her dresser, she headed to the door that connected her to the bathroom, pulling it open and stepping inside, to get ready for the day.

…

Forty five minutes later, Usagi was ready to go; her hair was washed and dried, and hanging in its normal odango fashion.

'It's a good thing I know how to do this habitually,' Usagi mused to herself. 'That's going to come in handy when… when the day comes.'

Stepping out of the bathroom, she again checked the clock. 12:30.

'Perfect timing!' she cheered silently. 'Just enough time to say hi to Ikuko-mama, make sure Shingo is ready, and stop by to pick Ami up.'

Rushing down the stairs, she quickly entered the kitchen, smiling brightly at her family.

'Oh, how I'll miss seeing them,' she thought sadly to herself. 'Truly, I am blessed to have such a wonderful family.'

Tsukino Kenji sat at the head of the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Neat brown hair was parted down the middle, giving him a more professional look. His blue eyes were slightly hidden behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses, but Usagi knew that his eyes were the same shade of blue as her own.

Next, her eyes slid over to Ikuko.

Usagi's mother was a real beauty. Her violet hair hung down just past her shoulders, and her violet eyes were just a few shades lighter. For being close to her forties, she had not a single gray hair, nor did she have a wrinkle on her alabaster skin. Far from being old looking, her mother looked as young as a teenager.

Then, there was Shingo.

His brown, unruly hair flopped into his sparkling brown eyes as he looked up at his sister, a lopsided smile on his face.

"Onee-chan!" he cried out, pushing his chair back and hugging his sister tightly. "You can still see today, right?"

Usagi laughed and nodded her head, brushing a lock of his brown hair out of his face. For a seven year old, he sure was a little bundle of joy.

"And you're still taking me out for ice cream, and to go see Motoki-san, right?"

Again, Usagi nodded her head in affirmation, looking up to see her mother and father watching.

"Hai. We need to leave now, though, otouto-san. We're stopping at Ami's on the way."

"Hai! I'm ready to go!" Shingo exclaimed, and rushed over to the door, pulling it open.

Usagi grinned and kissed her mother and father on the cheek, saying a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye' as she rushed out the door after her brother.

Stopping next door, the two picked Ami up, and headed off downtown to stop at the ice cream shop.

"So, what do you two want?" Usagi asked as she rifled through her wallet to pull out some money.

"Ano…" Ami began, when Shingo cut her off.

"I want a triple scoop cone, with one scoop chocolate, one scoop vanilla, and the other scoop mint chocolate chip!" Shingo replied, skipping ahead of the two girls.

"Shingo, that was rude," Usagi started to say, but Ami cut her off when she started to laugh.

"Goodness, Shingo-san, you've had this planned for awhile, haven't you?" she asked the boy with a grin.

"Hai!" Shingo replied proudly, a grin forming from ear to ear. "Ever since onee-chan said she was taking me out for ice cream, I've been planning what I wanted. And since I couldn't choose one, I decided, why not have them all?"

"Because then onee-chan won't have any money left for herself," Usagi grumbled playfully.

Shingo stuck his lower lip out in a pout, and he filled his eyes with tears.

"Demo… you can get it. I'm sure that I'll still have enough money," Usagi quickly amended.

Shingo squealed in delight as he skipped further ahead of the two, whistling a tuneless melody.

"You're good with him," Ami commented quietly as the two walked behind.

Usagi raised her shoulders in a light shrug.

"He's my otouto-san," she responded. "The only sibling I have. I'm doing my best to be there for him, and it seems to be paying off."

Grinning, she pulled out her list, and crossed off number fourteen.

"Ano… Usagi-chan, what's that?" Ami asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"This? It's my list of things I want to see before… before I go blind," Usagi replied cheerfully. "Number fourteen on my list was to see Shingo smiling happily, and I just got it. Sappy, ne?" She scratched the back of her head with a small smile.

Ami's eyes brimmed with tears, tears she struggled to hold back.

"Oh, Usagi, you're so brave," she murmured quietly. "I don't know how you do it."

Usagi just smiled, lightly patting her friends shoulder. "It'll be okay. Things will all work out in the end."

Ami nodded, and shook her head, clearing her eyes of the tears.

"Usagi-onee-chan, we're here!" Shingo announced happily.

"Hai, so we are," Usagi replied, grinning. "Tell the man what you want, Shingo-san, and then let Ami order."

"Hai!" As Shingo turned to tell the man his order, Usagi turned to Ami once more.

"Don't worry about this, Ami-chan, I'll pay. It's my treat," Usagi said to the girl.

"Demo…"

"Iie! I want to pay. Please."

Ami nodded her head a bit hesitantly, and then went up to get her order as well. "Usagi hung back, looking down at her list, and then put it back in her pocket.

Finally, once Shingo's and Ami's ice cream cones were made, Usagi stepped up to put in her order.

"I want a hot fudge sundae, please," she said, and smiled brightly at the man behind the counter.

"Coming right up!" He replied, and moved to make her sundae.

"Ooo, that sounds good, onee-chan!" Shingo said wistfully.

"Iie, otouto-san! You have your own ice cream cone. This is mine." Usagi responded with a laugh.

"You're so mean, onee-chan!" Shingo wailed, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.

"Demo, you can have a bite of mine, Shingo. But not too much, ne?"

"Hai!" Shingo's smile returned full force and he went back to eating his ice cream cone.

Finally, once Usagi's sundae was made, and all were paid for, the three left the parlor, heading over to Motoki's arcade, with Shingo happily eating his ice cream cone, and every other time taking a bite of Usagi's sundae.

By the time they reached the arcade, Usagi's sundae was completely gone, and Shingo's ice cream had melted over most of the side walk.

"Shingo-san, look what you did!" Usagi moaned. "You ate my sundae! And you lost most of your ice cream as well."

"Aw, but it was so good!" Shingo pouted, and Usagi had no choice but to laugh, reaching out a hand to ruffle the little boy's hair.

"I hope you're happy, otouto-san," Usagi replied.

"Hai!"

The bell behind the counter rang as the three walked into the arcade, and a head of blonde hair looked up.

"Usagi-chan! Ami-chan! Shingo-san!" Furuhata Motoki called out happily, setting down the towel he'd been using to wipe down the counter. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Motoki-onii-chan!" Usagi and Shingo replied simultaneously.

"Ohayo, Motoki-san," Ami said politely, smiling shyly at the man.

"So, what brings the three of you down here?" Motoki asked, smiling at each of them.

"I wanna play Sailor V!" Shingo called out, hopping up and down, his brown hair bouncing around in his eyes.

Usagi, Ami, and Motoki laughed.

"Ami-chan, would you mind taking him to go play? I need to talk to Motoki." Usagi sent a pleading look at Ami, who immediately nodded and headed off with Shingo.

"Ano, Usagi-chan, is everything alright?" Motoki asked her, concern in his voice.

"Hai, Motoki, everything is alright. I just wanted to ask what you thought of this list," Usagi responded, pulling her list out of her pocket. Motoki's eyebrows raised in surprise as he took it from her, looking it over.

"Ano, Usagi-chan, what is this?" He asked.

"It's my list of things I want to see before I go blind," Usagi explained, a smile on her face. "I was wondering if you had any suggestions, or things I could add to it."

"Hm…" Motoki looked over the list, considering. "Well, you don't have Disneyland on here, do you? And I don't think you've ever been there, either."

Usagi's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.

"Of course! How could I forget Disney Land?" She asked, lightly hitting herself in the side of her head. Grabbing a pen, she quickly scribbled down 'Disney Land' as her twenty sixth thing to do.

"And what about Kyoto, and Osaka?" Motoki put in, looking over the list again.

Again, Usagi nodded enthusiastically, putting the two places down on her list. "Hmm…"

"Well, what do we have here?" A voice drawled from the doorway. Immediately, Usagi snatched her list back, and made to put it in her pocket. She didn't notice as it fell out, and onto the floor behind her.

"Nothing, baka," she replied, her voice cold. "Ano, Motoki, I'll see you later, alright?"

Motoki looked confused, but nodded his head.

"Hai, see you later, Usagi-chan," he called as the blonde headed over to where Shingo and Ami were playing Sailor V.

"Hey guys, time to go!" Usagi called brightly.

"Aw, already?" Shingo moaned, and just as he did so, the Sailor V character was eaten by a monster, and the words 'Game Over' appeared on the screen. "…Alright, let's go!"

Usagi and Ami laughed as they headed out of the arcade, after saying goodbye to Motoki once more.

…

"Mamoru-san, what was that about, with Usagi?" Motoki asked his friend, handing over a cup of steaming black coffee.

Mamoru's eyes were emotionless as he replied, "Nothing, Motoki. We just had a little run in yesterday, and…I said something to her I shouldn't have."

Motoki's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hand into a fist.

"It was an accident!" Mamoru protested as his friend grew increasingly angry.

Blinking, Motoki let down his guard, and sighed slightly.

"Gomen, Mamoru-san. I'm just very protective of Usagi-chan. She's going through such a tough time right now, and…" he sighed, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.

Mamoru sighed, looking down at the ground. That was when he noticed it: a small slip of paper, near to where Usagi had been standing. Bending down, he picked it up and opened it.

At the top, it said: Usagi's List of Things to do.

And underneath it, in small, neat handwriting, close to thirty different things were listed. Mamoru scratched his head, frowning slightly.

"Ano, Motoki-san, do you know what this is?" He asked the man, handing him the piece of paper.

"Oh! That's Usagi-chan's!" Motoki cried out in exasperation. "She'll be devastated to have lost it. Though… maybe…"

Mamoru looked over at his friend, and flinched visibly at the look on his face.

"Mamoru. Do you want to make up to Usagi what you said to her? Do you want to have her forgive you?"

"I…"

"If so, help her with these things. There are some things on here that only someone with a car can take her to do. But whatever you do, Mamoru, _do not pity her._ Usagi's a big girl; she can handle this. All she needs is a little help to make sure she gets to see all of these things. Do you understand?"

Mamoru looked speechless, but nodded his head in confirmation.

"Good. Now get going."

Quickly, Mamoru headed out of the arcade, confusion ringing in his head.

'Ano… what did I just agree to?' he wondered idly. "And how am I supposed to do this when I don't know her address!" He cried out, causing people to stop and stare. Flushing brightly, he turned around and went back into the arcade.

"Motoki, I don't even know her address!" Mamoru cried, quietly this time.

"Ah, look it up in the phone book," Motoki said nonchalantly. "And get a move on; you may not have much time."

Grunting, Mamoru once again left the arcade, and headed home, hands in his pockets, wondering exactly what he'd just signed himself up for.

…

Well, there's chapter two… I hope you guys like it. I'm hoping this story won't be nearly as long as the other ones are shaping out to be… only a few more chapters, I'm hoping, but we'll see what happens. As usual, comments and criticism are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Lady Tsukino


	3. Day One

The List: Chapter three.

Wow! I was so excited when I got home from work and saw all of your reviews, so I decided to get started on my next chapter right away. So, here it is!

Day One.

The doorbell rang early the next morning, and Usagi sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily, opening her eyes to look at the clock.

"Ano…? I can still see…" she whispered slightly with a small grin. It hadn't even occurred to her that she may not be able to today. Looking at the clock, she frowned; it was 4:30 in the morning.

'Three…two…one…'

"_Who the hell is ringing our doorbell at four thirty in the morning!"_ Tsukino Kenji bellowed at the top of his lungs. Usagi giggled slightly, laying back in bed and closing her eyes.

'Mm. Probably just a prankster,' she thought to herself as she settled back down, snuggling into her comforter to drift back to sleep.

'Knock, knock, knock.'

Usagi sat up with a frown, looking at her door.

"Nani?" she called out, her voice cracking a bit. The door opened, and a very disheveled Kenji stuck his head in.

"Usagi-chan. A Chiba Mamoru is here to see you… said something about apologizing… and a list of some sorts. I didn't understand, but he said you would."

Usagi's eyes opened wide, and she stood up, pulling a pink, terrycloth bathrobe around her, and stepping into a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

"Arigato, Kenji-papa," Usagi replied automatically. Meanwhile, her brain was whirling.

'How did he find out about my list? Isn't it in my pocket from yesterday?' she wondered, as she shuffled to the top of the stairs, making her way slowly down them.

At the bottom of the stairs, near the door way, stood Mamoru. Usagi frowned slightly upon seeing him.

"Mamoru-san. What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.

Mamoru looked up, and felt his jaw drop. There stood Usagi, in little more than a terrycloth bathrobe, her long blonde hair hanging loosely down to her feet; her sky blue eyes cold.

"Ano… I'll explain later. But for now, we need to get going, or we'll miss it," Mamoru replied, choosing his words carefully. "So… you need to go get dressed, and then we'll be off, alright?"

Usagi blinked slightly.

"Are you mad, Mamoru-san? It's four thirty in the morning!"

Mamoru grinned, raking a hand through his messy black hair.

"Hai, I know. Now hurry up and change."

Grumbling, Usagi did as she was told, heading back into her room, and throwing on a pair of dark blue jeans, a green t-shirt, and a black pullover sweatshirt.

Throwing her hair into a single pony tail, she bounded quickly down the stairs.

"Alright, write your parents a note: You're spending the day with me," Mamoru commanded, and Usagi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Ano, Mamoru-san. You are mad."

Mamoru just grinned slightly, and nodded his head in confirmation. "Hai. Perhaps I am. Now hurry up, we're going to miss it."

"Miss _what_?" Usagi mumbled slightly as she shuffled to do as told once more, scribbling a quick note and leaving it on the kitchen table.

"Ready to go?" Mamoru asked impatiently.

"Hai, as ready as I'll ever be, for something I don't know," Usagi replied sarcastically.

"Great! Now, you're going to have to humor me, and put this on," Mamoru said, pulling out a black handkerchief, and walking up to her, tying it gently around her head.

Usagi's eyes narrowed and she shook her head.

"Mamoru-san, you are scaring me. Just what do you think you're doing?" She yelped.

"Trust me, Usagi. I won't hurt you, I promise. It's… a surprise," Mamoru explained gently.

"Some surprise," Usagi muttered. "You show up at my house at four in the morning, demanding that I come with you, with no other explanation than 'it's a surprise.' You blindfold me, and take me to your car, and expect me to not put up a fuss? Hah. I don't know what kind of women you're used to being around, Mamoru, but let me assure you, I am not a weakling."

"Of course you're not," Mamoru replied soothingly. "Now, for the final time, get moving. We're going to miss this."

"Fine!" Usagi finally gave in, moving with him to climb into the car.

There was a soft 'click' as her door shut, and then she heard the driver's side door open and another click as it shut once Mamoru had climbed in. A few seconds later, the scratch of the key into the ignition, and the sound of the engine was heard, and then they were off.

Usagi leaned her head back against the headrest, her eyes behind the makeshift blindfold closing as the car rolled smoothly down the road. Not knowing where she was going, or what was going, on, she decided that she'd trust Mamoru, just this once.

…

"Usagi, wake up. We're here."

Usagi let out a soft yawn and opened her eyes, and let out a soft shriek. The world was black.

Panicking, Usagi shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

'I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it would be today,' she whimpered softly to herself.

"Woah, there, Usagi, it's alright." Hands at the back of her head were untying something, and suddenly the blackness fell away, leaving…

Usagi brought her hands up to her mouth, covering a gasp of shock.

Mamoru had driven her to the coast line, and as she watched, waves lapped gently at the shore line. For as far as she could see, water stretched across the horizon, and in the very distance, a faint purple color was beginning to show.

"Mamoru… this is…"

"Hai, Usagi. I found your list at the arcade the other day, after you'd left. Motoki told me what it was… and… well, I needed to apologize to you for what I said, that day that we met. I didn't… I wasn't aware of… of you know… and… I spoke without thinking. I want to help you, Usagi. I want to help you see all of the things that are on your list, and perhaps some other things, as well."

Usagi's eyes brimmed with tears, and she quickly scrubbed the back of her hand across her eyes.

"Look." Mamoru took her hand, and pointed it out over the water, towards where the sun was rising.

The purple, far off in the distance, had slowly spread, and now the horizon was a splash of pink, purple, and a soft orange. The water reflected the colors, mixing them and twisting them, around and around, until Usagi couldn't tell where one color started, and the next ended.

Finally, the sun had risen above the water, and the colors stopped overlapping. The suns reflection shone off the water as the waves continued to crash along the beach, but no longer did they reflect with the colors of sunrise.

Usagi sat still for a moment longer, listening to the roar of the surf, and gazing out across the horizon once more. A slight rustling beside her pulled her attention to Mamoru, who was holding out her list, as well as a pen.

"I think… you can cross number one off," Mamoru told her quietly, and Usagi nodded, her eyes blazing with tears as she took hold of the pen and paper, drawing a shaky line through number one: Watch the sun rise over the ocean.

"Arigato, Mamoru-san," Usagi said softly, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't think I would have been able to see this, if it weren't for you."

Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, trying to act nonchalant, as Motoki was so capable of doing.

"Don't mention it, Odango," he replied offhandedly.

Usagi's cheeks puffed out, and she glared at him hotly.

"Just when I think you're starting to be nice, you have to go and blow it, don't you, baka?"

Mamoru only grinned and stood up, reaching a hand down to help her up. "Come on. That was only the first thing on your list; we still have another twenty six to go."

Usagi blinked up at him in surprise.

"You're really going to help me see all of these things? Why?"

Mamoru raised his shoulders in a light shrug.

"To be honest… I'm not really sure. I feel as though I owe you an apology for what I said the other day," he explained slowly.

"But taking me to see the sunrise was apology enough," Usagi protested. "You don't need to do any more for me."

Mamoru grinned slightly down at her, his dark blue eyes sparkling slightly.

"I know I don't have to. But for some reason… I want to."

Usagi's eyes narrowed slightly.

'If he pities me… I'm going to scream,' she thought to herself darkly.

"I don't want your pity, Mamoru," she bit out harshly. "If pity is the only reason why you're helping me, then you'd better take me home right now. I won't tolerate it."

Mamoru's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the young woman sitting beside him.

"I don't pity you, Usagi. I admire you. I respect you. You have more courage than any person I know; Kami, you have more courage than everyone I know combined. No, Usagi. I don't pity you. I never will."

Usagi's eyes shone with a fierce determination, and she examined the man in front of her skeptically, before nodding her head once.

"Good. With all that said and done, let's get going."

"Ah, where to?"

"Well… on your list… here… it says that you want to go to Disney Land, ne? So…" Mamoru reached into his pocket, and pulled out two brightly colored slips of paper. "Ta da! Tickets to Disney Land, good for one day." He smiled proudly, and the look on his face nearly caused Usagi's heart to melt.

'What is this?' She asked herself anxiously. 'He's a baka, remember?'

'_He may be a baka, but look at all he's doing for you,'_ her conscious smirked slightly. _'It's no wonder, either. He's not bad looking at all.'_

Usagi's face turned a bright red, causing Mamoru to blink once in surprise.

"Ano, Odango? Are you alright?" He asked.

"H-hai!" Usagi cried, grabbing for his hand and racing back to the car. "I'm just excited is all! Quick, let's go!"

Mamoru blinked slightly at her, and shook his head in amusement.

"And on the way there, we can stop at the famous Tokyo Rose Garden."

Usagi squealed slightly in delight, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Arigato, Mamoru-san!" she cried.

"Think nothing of it, Odango," he replied with an easy smile.

Sticking her tongue out at him was her only reaction, for she'd decided that with all he was doing for her, she'd allow him to call her whatever he pleased.

As they drove away from the ocean, Usagi turned back to watch as it disappeared slowly from view, until only the faint roar of the surf, and the smell of the salt water was left.

With a happy smile, she turned to watch the scenery as it passed her out the window, squinting only slightly to see everything she could.

Mamoru watched her out of the corner of his eye.

'Face it, Mamoru, you are crazy. Who would have thought that seeing her smile like this could send your heart fluttering? And after only knowing her for three days at that, with the first two being that she hated your guts. And with good reason, at that.'

'_Ah, but can you blame yourself? Look at her. She's a little bundle of joy, and so beautiful, too. Face it; even if you don't want to admit it right now, you like seeing her happy. You like being the one that makes her smile like that. And you wouldn't trade it for the world,'_ Mamoru's conscious taunted.

A flush spread faintly through Mamoru's cheeks, and he quickly averted his eyes away from her, looking back out at the road.

'So what?' he grumbled slightly to himself. 'So what if I like seeing her happy? It doesn't mean anything. And besides, I'm only doing this to apologize for what I said on meeting her that first day.'

'_That's not true, and you know it. As she said, taking her to see the sun rise was enough of an apology. So why are you going through all the work of taking her to Disney Land, and the Rose Gardens, and everything else you have planned for her? Face it. You want her to like you.'_

Mamoru grimaced slightly, and with a strong effort, shoved the nagging voice to the back of his mind.

'It doesn't matter,' he told himself firmly. 'I'm just doing this to be a nice guy, nothing more. After all, I know virtually nothing about this girl, besides her name, and the fact that she's going blind, and all the stuff that she wants to do before she does go blind. Oh, yes, and the fact that she has a father that wants to skin me alive because I came to pick his daughter up at around four in the morning.' At this thought, Mamoru cringed slightly.

"Ano, Usagi, does your father always act like that?" Mamoru asked timidly.

"Like… what?" Usagi asked with a blink, turning to look at him.

"Ano, he tried to kill me this morning," Mamoru said, taking one hand off the steering wheel to idly rub the back of his neck. "And when I told him I was there to pick you up, he looked like he was going to blow a gasket or something. I was scared."

Usagi stared at him for a minute, and then burst into gales of laughter.

"Oh… I'm so sorry… gomen nasai, Mamoru… I don't… mean to laugh…but…" Usagi's voice cut off as another bout of laughter shook her body, and finally, Mamoru gave in to a little laughter himself, as well.

After a few minutes of laughing, Usagi leaned back, wiping her eyes slightly to clear them of tears of mirth.

"Oh, man… yes, Mamoru, Kenji-papa is like that a lot. Especially when it comes to boys and me. And when you show up at four thirty in the morning to pick me up, not only are you disturbing his sleep, but you're probably a psychopathic rapist, too. But that's in the eyes of my father, not me!" she hastily concluded.

Mamoru grinned sheepishly.

"I may be crazy, but I would never hurt you," Mamoru responded. "But it's nice to know that you're protected by your father. Will you… tell me a little about your family?"

Usagi tilted her head to one side, but nodded slightly.

"Well… there's Kenji-papa, who you obviously met. He really is a nice man, Mamoru, just very protective. And then there's Ikuko-mama. I love her so very much… she's the one that keeps Kenji-papa from doing anything drastic. Unfortunately for you, she was still sound asleep when you came; otherwise, you wouldn't have been so frightened. And then there's Shingo-san… my younger brother. He's such a sweet kid… I love him dearly."

Mamoru nodded his head, his eyes strictly on the road.

"It must be nice, to have such a loving family," he murmured quietly.

"Oh, it's the best!" Usagi agreed. "I couldn't ask for any better. But… what about you, Mamoru-san? What's your family like?"

Mamoru choked slightly.

"I…ah… I don't have a family," he muttered slightly, and as Usagi was about to respond, he quickly cut her off. "Oh, look, we're at the Rose Gardens," he announced. "Come on, Usagi, let's go look around for a bit, and then head to Disney Land, alright?"

Usagi blinked, shocked at the abrupt change of topics, but picking up on the fact that he didn't want to talk about it, she nodded her head slightly, and as he parked the car, made a resolution.

'I will get to know him better by the end of the day,' she told herself firmly. 'And maybe, just maybe, I can get him to open up to me.'

…

Yay! There's chapter three for you guys… it's a little longer than normal, but that's alright, ne? Good. Review, please and thank you!

Lady Tsukino


	4. Day Two

The List: Chapter four

And chapter four…

Usagi awoke with a yawn, a grin on her face as she recalled yesterday's events.

…

"_Those roses were so gorgeous!" Usagi gushed as she and Mamoru left the Rose Gardens._

"_Mm, indeed they were," Mamoru agreed, unable to keep a small smile off of his face. It wasn't purely by the list Usagi had made that he'd brought her to the Rose Gardens; roses held a special place in his heart, and for some reason, he felt comfortable sharing them with Usagi. Of course, he hadn't mentioned this to her. He had allowed her to believe that he'd brought her due to number 20 on her list. Not to mention the fact that the Rose Gardens were public, so there was no suspicion on her part, either._

"_To Disney Land now, right, Mamoru?" Usagi asked, turning her big blue eyes on him._

_Mamoru chuckled, sticking his hands in his pockets, and nodded his head in confirmation._

_Usagi made a soft sound, trying her best to hold back her excitement at the prospect that she'd finally get to see Disney Land. It had always been a place she'd wanted to see since she was a kid, but either she was too busy, her parents were too busy, or the place was closed down, for one reason or other. But now, today, with Chiba Mamoru, no less, she would finally get to go._

_Usagi had mixed feelings about all of these things. Why was she seeing these places with Mamoru? And why did seeing them with him feel so natural? It was all so confusing, and the more she thought about it, the more it made her head spin. Finally, she just gave up._

_Getting into his car once more, Usagi stared silently out the window, unable to keep a grin off of her face. _

"_Ah… Mamoru… I wanted to thank you, for doing all this for me," she finally said, eager to break the silence. "It's been so long since I've just gone around and did things like this, and it's so great to be able to just relax, you know?"_

_Mamoru looked over at her, and gave a small smile._

"_Mm. I guess you're right. It's been awhile since I've done anything of the sort, either. Normally, I'm so occupied with college, and working part time at the hospital, and…" Abruptly he cut off. _

_Usagi looked at him, her head tilted slightly to one side. _

"_I didn't know you worked at the hospital, Mamoru-san," she said quietly._

_Mamoru chuckled slightly._

_  
"There's much you don't know about me, Odango," he said, and with an aloof smile, quickly changed the subject._

_A half hour later, they arrived at the parking lot, and pulling in, Mamoru paid the parking fee, and pulled into the parking lot. Even before he'd put the car into park and turned off the engine, Usagi had unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car, squealing loudly and looking every which way, her eyes wide with amazement. _

_For the next seven hours, they wandered around Disney Land, going on every single one of the rides, and stopping often to get something to eat or drink. _

_As the park drew to a close, Mamoru grabbed Usagi's hand._

"_Come on," he murmured. "The best part is about to start, now. It's time for the Spectral Magic parade."_

"_The what?" Usagi asked, confused._

"_You'll see," he assured her, leading her to Main Street, which was currently being blocked off with ropes, to keep people out of the actual street, and more to the side walk. _

_Suddenly, over the speakers that were randomly spread throughout the park, music started blaring. The lights around the park flickered, and went out, and suddenly, all was plunged into darkness, with the exception of a few store lights. Then, from down the street, the parade began moving._

_Usagi gasped in shock._

_Floats of all different sizes began moving slowly down the street, bedecked in different colored light bulbs, which twinkled and flickered as the floats moved. On top of these floats rode the different Disney characters, also alight with colorful light bulbs on their costumes. Each float represented a different theme, and with each different theme, a different character rode. Between each float, they had random other people; jugglers and unicyclists; big robotic fish, moving around and blinking large, soulful eyes as they stopped, before twirling around and moving on. _

_The cries of delighted children mingled with the general hum of the motorized floats, and the sound of the music as the parade continued on. Usagi simply stared in awe, unable to move, or blink, or tear her eyes away from the sight before her._

_As the last float moved down the street, Usagi blinked a few tears from her eyes, and turned to grin slightly at Mamoru._

"_That… was the coolest thing I have ever seen, in my entire life!" she squealed, laughing ecstatically as she jumped up and down, looking for all the world like she'd just won the lottery._

_Laughing, Mamoru grabbed her hand and pointed upwards with his other hand._

"_Wait just a few minutes, and there will be fireworks," he told her with a grin._

_Usagi's eyes widened, and she stared up at the sky eagerly, her eyes searching the sky for sign of the colors. After a few minutes had passed, she looked back at him with a disappointed frown._

"_I guess they're not running ton--" Her words were cut off as a high pitched whistle, followed by a loud 'boom' split the night air. Looking up, Usagi was just in time to see the last few sparks of the first firework drifting down towards the water._

_With a gleeful exclamation, she fixed her eyes on the sky once more as the fireworks started to come in succession, each one out doing the last, in color, size, and over all splendor. The colors ranged anywhere from a crimson red to a deep golden rod, with all the colors of the rainbow mixed in._

_Finally, ten minutes later, the fireworks came to an end with a stunning conclusion, and Usagi looked down, smiling broadly._

"_This night… no, this entire _day_… has been so incredible. And I owe it all to you, Mamoru-san. Thank you. Thank you so much." In an impulsive move, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. _

_Mamoru blinked once, and looked down at the golden haired girl in his arms, before smiling slightly and returning the hug._

"_Hey, it's late, and we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow as well, so let's get you home, alright?"_

_Usagi blinked slightly as she took a step back from him._

"_Wait, what's going on tomorrow?" She asked, confused._

"_We have to finish your list, of course," Mamoru responded as they headed towards the exit, threading their way through the crowd of people, and finally managing to get out through the exit._

"_You don't mean to tell me you're going to do more for me, do you?" Usagi asked incredulously, staring at him._

"_Well of course I do," Mamoru remarked. "I told you I'd help you with your list, and I meant it. We've crossed off a few things today, and there are only a few more left on your list. Of course, once this one is done, I expect you to make a new one, and we'll do that one, as well."_

_Usagi looked down, an unfamiliar emotion bubbling in her body, threatening to burst and consume her very being. Choking back a small sob, she nodded briefly and headed with him back to the car._

"_Are you alright, Usagi-chan? You seem to have gotten quiet all of a sudden," Mamoru commented, looking over at the girl beside him._

"_Ne, ne Mamoru-san. I'm fine. I'm just tired. It was a long day," Usagi replied as lightly as she could, throwing him a small smile._

_Mamoru nodded thoughtfully as he started driving the car, and for awhile, silence reigned over the two of them._

_After fifteen minutes had passed, Mamoru began to speak._

"_You know, Usagi, these past few days have really been great. I want to thank you, for letting me… for letting me share these things with you. It really means a lot to me." He fell silent after this, and when he got no reply, blinked slightly, and took his eyes from the road to glance once more at Usagi. A wry smile spread across his face, and he chuckled slightly. Usagi was fast asleep, her head resting lightly against the window, her breath fogging a small patch of the glass with each breath she took. _

_After that, the ride home went pretty quickly, with Usagi snoring quietly, and Mamoru deep in thought as to how he was going to finish the next day off. _

_When he pulled into her driveway, he got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opening it up and lifting the sleeping girl into his arms, carried her up the front steps and to the door, where, with a grimace, he managed to ring the doorbell, hoping for his sake that he wasn't waking the family up._

_Moments later, the door was opened, and Kenji Tsukino stuck his head out the door. Taking one look at the man holding his daughter, he drew back, and filled his lungs to bellow, when his wife stepped up beside him, placing a hand on his arm to restrain him._

"_How was your day, Chiba-san?" Ikuko questioned politely. "Usagi is just sleeping, right?"_

_Mamoru smiled nervously. _

"_Ah, yes, Ikuko-san, she fell asleep on the way home from Disney Land. I imagine today was a long one for her; we did many of the things on her list, and we intend to finish them tomorrow."_

_  
"I see," Ikuko murmured, a small smile on her face. "Well, you should take Usagi up to her room… it's the first one on the right at the top of the stairs. Then you should be getting home, and to sleep, for I imagine that it was just as long a day for you, as it was for her."_

_Mamoru smiled gratefully at her, and stepped into the house, carrying Usagi up to her room, and laying her down on her bed. Stepping up to her, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, and smoothed her bangs back, before stepping away and turning to go._

"_Mamoru-san…?" The voice was soft, and drowsy with sleep._

_Mamoru turned around, and smiled softly at the half asleep girl._

"_Yes, Usagi-san?"_

"_Thank you… for everything…" Usagi murmured, before rolling onto her side, and falling back into a deep sleep._

_A tender smile spread across his face, as he whispered a soft reply and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him._

"_It was nothing, Usako."_

…

Well, there's chapter four. And I think, either the next chapter, or the chapter after that will be the conclusion of this story, so I can work again on the other ones I have out there. Again, thank you SO much for your patience, and continued support. I love you all!


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